By Warren Rappleyea
Sayreville War Memorial High School’s football team could not be blamed for looking ahead to its Oct. 7 meeting against undefeated Piscataway Township High School, but the Bombers must first get past winless Brick Memorial High School in a Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC)-Shore Conference crossover game Sept. 30.
“We’re not looking to get ahead of ourselves,” Sayreville coach Chris Beagan said. “Our focus right now is on Brick Memorial. That’s the only team we should be worried about. They have a quality program, and we have to be ready.”
Beagan’s team scored a convincing 54-28 win over New Brunswick Sept. 23 to raise its record to 3-0. The Zebras brought plenty of speed and some spunk to Sayreville, only to get worn down by the powerful Blue and Gray.
With the score tied 7-7 after both teams exchanged early touchdowns, New Brunswick forced the Bombers to punt. The kick sailed toward the sideline, hit one of the Zebras and was recovered by Sayreville, which promptly cashed in for another touchdown.
Later when New Brunswick cut Sayreville’s lead to 21-14, Elijah Clark quickly restored order by taking the ensuing kickoff back 82 yards for a touchdown. By the time it was over, Bombers quarterback Jayson DeMild completed six of 11 passes for 135 yards and a trio of touchdowns.
Andrew Wille, Jahsim Floyd and Michael Liberti all caught scoring passes, as the Bombers’ line gave the 6-foot-2 signal caller plenty of time to pick apart the Zebras’ secondary.
The Bombers amassed more than 200 yards on the ground, with Liberti gaining 151 of those yards and scoring two more touchdowns on 27 carries. Ja-Que Roberts also scored twice while picking up 42 yards on the night in seven tries.
“We have a lot of ways to score,” Beagan said. “We have the guys who can make the plays and an offensive line that is just as good on the run as it is protecting our quarterback.”
While the visitors were able to score 28 points, the game was never really in doubt following Clark’s electrifying return. New Brunswick managed to showcase its speed, as Dylan Johnson, who had 91 yards in total, ran for a pair of touchdowns.
In addition, wideout Kada Reams hauled in a pair of scoring passes from Jabree Jeffrey. The elusive Jeffrey did at times cause havoc, scrambling to find open receivers, but the Bombers’ coverage improved as the game went on. Mike Germann made seven tackles to lead Sayreville, and Antwon Golson was right behind with six tackles.
Brick Memorial (0-3) is coming off a 13-10 loss to Toms River High School South (2-1) Sept. 23. The Mustangs have also lost to Toms River High School North (3-0) and Brick Township High School (2-1).
Neighboring Old Bridge High School (2-1) will look to get back on track following a 41-0 loss to Manalapan High School (3-0) in a GMC-Shore Conference crossover pairing. The visiting Braves dominated a Knights team that had been impressive in victories over South Brunswick High School and Monroe Township High School.
Edison High School (1-1) comes to the township Sept. 30 following an off week. The Eagles, who are looking to make a return trip to the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group V playoffs, nearly knocked off Sayreville Sept. 16 before bowing, 18-13. A year ago, Old Bridge downed Edison twice in a pair of wild games. During the regular season, the Knights prevailed, 45-27, and then took a first-round playoff game, 38-35.
